Alumni Top Photographer ‘Understands Architecture as a Language’ Stories You May Like Trailblazing Architect Kimberly Dowdell ’06 Aims to Inspire Others Better Living Through Landscape Architecture Decades Ago, Avid Photographer Captured Campus Life on Film The Human Ecology alum planned on designing buildings—but fell in love with capturing their images with grace and style By Joe Wilensky In photographs by Brad Feinknopf ’86, buildings have both presence and grace. Light traces and illuminates the contours of dramatic façades and the sight lines of interiors; people are often present, giving life and human scale to the visuals. The Human Ecology alum is one of the nation’s top architectural photographers, having garnered dozens of awards and honors and run his own Columbus, OH-based studio for three decades. “While anyone can record architecture, creating meaningful photographs requires something deeper—an understanding of architecture as a language,” says Feinknopf, who often went to job sites with his architect father as a child. “And I have been looking at architecture all my life, learning that language.” Nick Fancher In 2025, the design platform Architizer named Feinknopf one of the “100 visionary creatives changing how we see architecture,” praising him for his “consistent pursuit of perfection, attention to detail, uncompromised professionalism, and utmost of quality in service.” And in summer 2026, the American Society of Media Photographers gave Feinknopf its Best of Architecture/Interiors Award for a striking image of a lab building at Penn; it gazes into dozens of geometrically aligned windows, with a lone human figure framed among the offices. Feinknopf used a drone to capture this award-winning image of Penn's Vagelos Laboratory. “I have never really thought of myself primarily as a photographer; I see myself as a collaborator, a storyteller,” he says. “And to articulate that visually, I need to understand a building: how it functions; what was the design vision and how that amplifies its purpose; and how people interact with it.” I need to understand a building: how it functions; what was the design vision and how that amplifies its purpose; and how people interact with it. While Feinknopf had long planned to earn a graduate degree in architecture and follow his father and grandfather into the field, a photography class under Prof. Barry Perlus changed his trajectory. “It opened up a whole new world to me about using the camera as a way to look at the world around you,” recalls Feinknopf, who majored in design and environmental analysis in Hum Ec. Feinknopf at work. He crammed his senior-year schedule with as many photography courses as he could, and after graduation landed a job in NYC with famed fashion and portrait photographer Richard Avedon. That led to stints with other notables, including Robert Mapplethorpe and Joyce Tenneson. Feinknopf eventually moved back to his native Columbus and launched his own studio, focusing more and more on architectural photography over the decades. Although he has worked globally, most of his assignments are in the U.S., where firms have hired him to showcase myriad projects: medical facilities, performance venues, bridges, apartment complexes, newsrooms, hotels, churches, museums, airports, and more. On the Hill, he has photographed such facilities as Milstein Hall, the new North Campus residence halls, and the Lab of Ornithology. His work has appeared in publications from Architectural Digest to the Wall Street Journal. “I have a great love of architecture,” says Feinknopf, whose two sons are pursuing the field as practitioners. “I just decided I’d rather get paid to experience and appreciate it.” Scroll down for a sampling of Feinknopf’s work! The Ohio Theater at the Columbus Association for the Performing Arts. The Boston Convention and Exhibition Center. A lounge in Ginsburg Hall on Cornell’s North Campus. The Science & Engineering Complex at Harvard. Stories You May Like Trailblazing Architect Kimberly Dowdell ’06 Aims to Inspire Others Better Living Through Landscape Architecture A private residence in Westchester County, NY. The student union at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach, FL. Two Cornell views: the Breazzano Family Center in Collegetown, and the visitor center at the Lab of Ornithology. The College of Architecture + Environmental Design at Ohio's Kent State University. The National Veterans Memorial and Museum in Columbus. The Digital Futures office complex in Cincinnati. The Youngmeyer Ranch Research Facility at Wichita State University. Cornell’s Milstein Hall at sunrise. Top: The National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington, DC. (All images by Feinknopf Photography, unless otherwise indicated.) Published August 5, 2026 Comments Bob Joy, Class of 1972 25 Aug, 2026 As both an architect and photographer I am in awe of Brad’s work. His images are beautifully composed and technically perfect. He has captured the essence of each building and location. Bravo! Reply Bill Davis, Class of 1999 25 Aug, 2026 Architecture comes alive in these wonderful images. Reply Alan Chimacoff, Class of 1964 25 Aug, 2026 Brad is truly one of the greatest, rivaling the best of all time. He is a pleasure to work with…, but…, I only wish he weren’t in Ohio so it would be possible to get together. Reply Krebs, Class of 1970 25 Aug, 2026 The photographs are fantastic. I attended Cornell Graduate School as the College of Home Economics was changing to the College of Human Ecology in 1967. My time there was interrupted by the Army as I was drafted and served in Vietnam but returned to complete my Graduate work. In the time I was away the Department of Design and Environmental Analysis grew. Reply Leave a Comment Cancel replyOnce your comment is approved, your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *Comment * Name * Class Year Email * Save my name, email, and class year in this browser for the next time I comment. Δ Other stories You may like Alumni Rory Guilday ’25 and Team USA Take Home Ice Hockey Gold Storytime with Corey The ‘Trolley,’ Slide Rules, and Rotary Phones: Big Red Tech History Alumni Where Everybody Knows Your Name: Hotelie Runs Iconic NYC Bar